Browse Honduras Daily Stories

A congresswoman from the Libre party has proposed legislation to identify tenants as responsible for electrical consumption during their occupancy, with provisions to report unpaid debts to credit bureaus and protect landlords from inheriting tenants' arrears.

A proposed law would make tenants responsible for electric bills incurred during their lease term and allow utilities to report unpaid debts to credit agencies after a 30-day notice period, protecting property owners from inherited arrears.

President Nasry Asfura signed the Law of Energy Justice, which restructures the state power utility ENEE by separating generation, transmission, and distribution into three subsidiary companies while maintaining state ownership, aimed at reducing losses and improving electricity service.

ENEE announced widespread scheduled power cuts on September 30 affecting dozens of communities across Ocotepeque, Copán, Francisco Morazán, El Paraíso, Valle, Yoro, Colón, Olancho, and Atlántida for maintenance work, with the first outages running from 8:20 a.m. to 2:20 p.m.

The state utility ENEE will cut power on September 29 to neighborhoods in Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, Olancho, and Valle for scheduled maintenance, equipment installation, and construction projects, with outages ranging from early morning through evening.

Outstanding electricity bills owed to Honduras's state power utility have climbed to L21.1 billion (about $845 million) as of August 31, with residential customers accounting for more than half the debt despite repeated government payment relief programs.

International banks and investors are showing interest in Honduras's electricity sector following approval of the Energy Justice Law, which establishes competitive bidding and auctions; the government estimates the sector needs about $6 billion in investment to modernize infrastructure and expand coverage.

Honduras's new Energy Justice Law, approved by Congress in August, has drawn interest from international financial institutions and investors who see it as a signal of transparent investment rules and modernization, with the government estimating the sector needs about $6 billion to upgrade infrastructure and expand coverage.

Congress Energy Commission member Eder Mejía said the government's electric-sector reforms, which would forgive debts for users consuming under 200 kWh monthly, freeze rates for six months, and regularize illegal connections, are expected to be published in the official gazette next week.

ENEE Manager Guillermo Peña Panting said Congress-approved energy reforms are not being modified and outlined a timeline for implementation once published in the official gazette, including meetings with multilateral lenders and planning for resources, staffing, and technical support.

Honduras's failure to enact and publish reforms to its electrical-sector framework has raised alarms among engineers and business analysts, who worry about last-minute renegotiations, weak implementation, and the state utility's deepening reliance on private contractors.

Lawmakers unanimously approved a motion to enforce a 2016 decree exempting public soccer fields and parks nationwide from paying for electricity, citing a decade-long failure by the state utility ENEE to apply the law and noting that youth sports programs are being harmed.

The state utility ENEE has scheduled power outages on Friday, September 25, across Comayagua, Atlántida, the Central District, and San Pedro Sula for maintenance and infrastructure upgrades, with outages lasting from early morning to late afternoon depending on the zone.

Honduras's state power utility ENEE has announced planned outages on September 23 across Francisco Morazán, Cortés, El Paraíso, Valle, Atlántida, and Colón for maintenance, equipment installation, and infrastructure work, with outage times varying by circuit and area.

The national utility ENEE will cut power to multiple neighborhoods across Honduras on September 22 for planned maintenance work on the electrical grid, with outages ranging from one to six hours depending on location.

The state electricity utility ENEE announced scheduled maintenance shutdowns for September 19 affecting neighborhoods in the Central District, the Atlantic coast (including Sonaguera, Colón), and San Pedro Sula, with outages ranging from three to eight hours by region.

The national utility ENEE will cut power to neighborhoods, villages, and residential areas in the Distrito Central/Francisco Morazán, Choluteca, and El Paraíso on Friday, September 18, during daytime hours, for routine line maintenance.

The state power utility ENEE scheduled maintenance-related outages lasting six-plus hours on September 17 affecting multiple municipalities in Santa Bárbara, Cortés, and San Pedro Sula, with specific neighborhoods and times listed.

A former ENEE manager estimates the state utility's planned split into generation, transmission, and distribution subsidiaries would require up to 30 months to implement and roughly eight years to reduce electrical losses to 15%.

Recent blackouts stem from multiple power plants not yet connected to the grid, a former ENEE manager said, while warning that extreme heat from a climate pattern called Super Niño and potential water shortages next year could worsen the energy crisis unless idle thermal and renewable units are brought online.

The national utility ENEE says no electricity outages are scheduled for September 15, Honduras's Independence Day, though planned maintenance resumes on September 16 after a two-day public holiday.

A massive failure in Central America's regional power grid at 11:47 a.m. on Thursday knocked out electricity across Honduras and neighboring Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador; ENEE and the national dispatch center began gradual restoration efforts with no firm timeline for full recovery.

President Asfura blamed widespread blackouts and power rationing on peak-hour demand and fuel shortages at generating plants, while announcing that Congress-approved energy reforms await final review before publication and that roughly 1,500 megawatts will be tendered to stabilize the grid.

ENEE will cut power on September 10 for maintenance work in Choloma (Cortés), Tela (Atlántida), multiple municipalities in Copán, and Naranjito and Santa Rosa (Santa Bárbara), with outages lasting four to six hours in each area.

Honduras is separating ENEE's generation, transmission, and distribution into distinct state-owned companies and creating an independent system and market operator, mirroring reforms other Central American nations completed 20–25 years ago.

The national electricity utility will deploy 148 maintenance crews across Honduras to reduce power outages through tree trimming, line inspection, and meter work, with plans for a second contract covering 200 additional crews and cranes.

Honduras's state power utility ENEE has scheduled maintenance outages for Thursday, October 1, affecting communities in Cortés, Francisco Morazán, Choluteca, El Paraíso, and Olancho between 8:15 a.m. and 2:45 p.m., with specific times varying by location.

The state power utility ENEE will cut electricity on September 24 to six departments—Santa Bárbara, Cortés, Yoro, Francisco Morazán, Olancho, and Colón—for scheduled maintenance on transmission lines and substations, with outages ranging from 6 to 8 hours in affected zones.

Honduras's national electric utility ENEE announced planned power outages on September 11 affecting sectors in Tela, the Central District, Comayagua, La Lima, and San Manuel, with cuts lasting up to eight hours.

Honduras's state power utility ENEE scheduled maintenance outages on September 9 across multiple regions including Cortés, Santa Bárbara, Copán, Francisco Morazán, Valle, Atlántida, and Olancho, with specific times and neighborhoods listed for each area.